For quite some time, fuel delivery systems for vehicles have typically included a fuel delivery assembly mounted within and received through an access opening in an upper wall of a fuel tank of a vehicle. A typical fuel delivery assembly may include a fuel pump module for delivering fuel from the fuel tank to the engine, a mounting flange for mounting to the upper wall of the fuel tank within the access opening, and a reservoir housing connected to the mounting flange. The reservoir housing may be of generally cylindrical shape, contains a predetermined volume of fuel therein regardless of normal changes in inclination of the vehicle, and houses an electric fuel pump therein with an intake port in communication with the interior of the reservoir housing. The fuel pump module is mounted to and within the fuel tank so that the bottom of the reservoir housing rests on the bottom of the fuel tank either directly or via supporting feet. The mounting flange may include various conduits that extend from the engine, through the mounting flange, and terminate in connections to various components of the fuel delivery assembly. The fuel pump module may also include a fuel level sender mounted to the reservoir housing and having a float and variable resistor to sense the level of fuel in the fuel tank.
More recently, fuel delivery assemblies may also include various accessories, such as a carbon canister for reducing evaporative emissions from a fuel tank. The carbon canister functions to limit emissions of fuel vapors from the fuel tank into the atmosphere. The carbon canister includes a housing containing activated carbon therein to trap fuel vapors therein and store the fuel vapors for subsequent release and combustion in the engine. The typical carbon canister is of generally cylindrical shape and may be carried by the mounting flange. The carbon canister includes conduits, which are connected between the canister housing to nipples on the mounting flange. Because fuel delivery assemblies with carbon canisters are often of relatively wider, longer, or of otherwise larger dimensions than typical fuel pump modules, it is usually necessary to enlarge the access opening of the fuel tank to accommodate installation of such fuel delivery assemblies therein.
Unfortunately, however, it is not always practical to adapt these fuel delivery assemblies for use with the larger access openings of existing fuel tank designs. More specifically, it is often unworkable to use existing designs of fuel delivery assemblies and fuel tanks because the access openings and height of existing fuel tanks are too small to accommodate these larger fuel delivery assemblies into canisters.
As disclosed in French patent application FR 2771972, a reservoir device for a fuel tank includes two reservoir housings; a “main” housing and an “auxiliary” housing connected together by linking means formed from plastic brackets. The two reservoir housings are ultimately positioned inside the fuel tank so that their respective bottoms are in contact with the bottom of the fuel tank. To this end, the auxiliary reservoir housing is first inserted via the access opening in the fuel tank by twisting the plastic brackets connecting the two reservoir housings, so that the plane of the bottom of the main reservoir housing and the plane of the bottom of the auxiliary reservoir housing form a mutual angle, the top of which is inclined toward the upper part of the fuel tank. When the auxiliary reservoir housing touches the bottom of the fuel tank at its lateral extremity opposite the main reservoir housing, the main reservoir housing is then partially engaged in the access opening of the fuel tank. Because the height of the auxiliary reservoir housing is relatively smaller than the height of the fuel tank, it is possible to then pivot the assembly, so as to maneuver the two reservoir housings into the desired position inside the fuel tank. Finally, pressure is exerted on the main reservoir housing, along the axis defined by the access opening, to untwist the plastic brackets in order to return them to their original position, and thus to place the two reservoir housings, side by side, on the bottom of the fuel tank.
But that solution is not practical when the length of the accessory inserted in the fuel tank is equal to or greater than the height of the fuel tank adjacent its access opening. In such a case, the accessory would become trapped when inserted and the entire fuel delivery assembly could not be disposed within the tank.